Michael Anthony recently discussed why Van Halen considered Jason Newsted to fill in for late Eddie Van Halen during a potential reunion tour instead of him. He told Ultimate Guitar:
“It was really interesting because I had not even heard about that [concerning Newsted] until I heard about it in the press. And it was right around that time that I actually had gotten a call from Alex and Dave about doing a reunion.”
The band’s ex-bassist continued:
“So, I don’t know what was going on there. Because I think it was right around the same time that supposedly Jason had been asked. But I thought it was actually pretty interesting, because here I am, you know, ‘Hey!’ But I don’t know, who knows what was going on in their minds when they were trying to put something together.”
The plans didn’t move forward despite the media attention that followed Newsted’s explanations on the matter. So, Anthony added:
“All I know is that they had spoken to me also. But things kind of fell apart before they were even able to be put together.”
Van Halen Reunion Talks
Jason Newsted revealed in a 2022 interview that Alex Van Halen approached him for a reunion tour and he even went to California to jam with the drummer and Joe Satriani.
Satriani later confirmed the ex-Metallica guitarist’s claims and added that David Lee Roth was also in talks to join the project. But Michael Anthony noted that the final decision was on Alex.
Wolfgang Van Halen confirmed mid-2022 that the plans were scrapped partly because of Newsted’s explanations and the ‘dysfunctional’ relationship between the surviving members.
Why Were The Plans Cancelled?
Anthony mentioned why the Van Halen reunion was cancelled in a chat with ‘The Hook Rocks’ podcast earlier this year. He explained:
“All I can say is — I’m not gonna point fingers — but through all of this, one of the ingredients was not, let’s say, playing ball with everybody else. And that’s all I’m gonna say. I’ll let you all figure it out. And that’s why none of it worked. And you’ve read it probably with Wolfgang’s interviews, too, that he’s been doing this past year.”
Now, the bassist is set to revisit the band’s songs with Sammy Hagar, Jason Bonham, and Joe Satriani for the ‘Best of All Worlds’ tour. The trek’s first stop will be Florida on July 13.